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Community Question: Best places for buying used curriculum?

Community Question is a category inspired by you. Here and there readers write in with questions that are better served by the varied, experiential knowledge of those who read and contribute in the comments.

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The following question is from Jennifer C.

“My husband and I decided to homeschool our 2nd and 4th grade kids next year. With that decision I will move from full to part-time work at my current job so I can be home during the day. I priced curriculum I’ve read about here and on other websites and blogs and unless we purchase used it will not fit into our budget. Where do Pioneer Woman readers recommend I look to find and purchase used curriculum?

What kind of wear and tear should I expect from used curriculum; how much will its use affect the price?”

Any experiences or advice in purchasing used curriculum?

Heather Sanders

Hi. I’m Heather, a freelance writer living in Huntsville, a smallish town on the tail-end of the East Texas Pineywoods.
Twenty years ago, I married Jeff, the love of my life, and shortly after, we chose to “go forth and multiply.” We have three kids: Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. We homeschool. It's what we do, and it works for us.
Tired of feeling overwhelmed, we recently "faithsized" our family into a 960 square foot lake cabin in need of renovation. I write at HeatherSanders.com about faith and simplifying your desires so you can be content right here and right now

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kellymarie

Ok What I do is, I go to sites like Abeka or Bob Jones, or CBD price the books(write it down) look through the books(as much as the site allows).. Then I will go to ebay to start looking, especially for the teacher guides(those are the most expensive).. I have found some good workbooks at Barnes N Noble.. Alot of friends I know go to the homeschool convention in their area, I know they have used books there.. Also find a group in your area, alot of people are willing to share books they are no longer using…
Good Luck, homeschooling can be done on a budget..

http://bunkersdown.com Ami

I live in an area with many homeschoolers, so I’ve been blessed to receive a few hand-me-down textbooks. I’ve also lucked out on a few garage sales. But with this method you need to be open to whatever curriculum comes your way.
If you’re alone in homeschooling or after specific books, you might check out the used sites on Amazon. I’ve found some great math books there for a fraction of the cost. Be sure to only take books marked in “good” or “really good” condition, or books that state there is very little marking inside.
Finally, if you live in an area with a good library system then use it! My library had the history books I thought I wanted to use, so I was able to check them out and give them the once over before making the purchase.

Tisha

Most of the time, used curriculum is perfectly fine. Your biggest concern should probably be to verify the edition of the books. Manufacturers update every few years, and while the older editions are still fine it may be hard to find corresponding workbooks to match them.

I usually make my list in the spring and start looking. When I find a great deal, I buy it and mark it off my list.

If you treat it carefully it will be a good investment. You can hand it down to your younger child and/or sell it to make money to buy more. That is what I do every year.🙂

http://modernmia.blogspot.com/ Modern Mia Gardening

I found our state homeschool support group convention has a great used curriculum sale the day before the yearly convention opens. Several friends have found a good amount of their curriculum needs for cheap. Since we were closer to the next state over during convention time, we would also attend their convention for the used curriculum sale. I was able to find many of my manipulatives for math, handwriting, and other subjects for super cheap. They are still holding up after 4 kids.

Beth

I like the well trained mind forum for buying curriculum used. I also know people who use vegsource.com/homschool for curriculum. Be aware though that more popular curriculums can be priced at almost 75% of their retail value. If you don’t have to save the curriculum from year to year, you should also account for reselling what you used for the year into your budget. I also think curriculums like Bob Jones or Abeka are more expensive to use because they have so many consumable workbooks. For example, if you get Rod and Staff English, it has a non-consumable book that can be used for each child and then be resold.

Nicole in Minnesota

There are several options:

1.) Half Priced Books or any second-hand bookstore. Here is a link to find one in your area or to order used books online: http://www.hpb.com

2.) The HSLDA Curriculum Market is great for used curriculum and it’s a great organization to join in general if you want support and legal advice concerning homeschooling. Members get special discounts on new curriculum and other resources as well. Check out the main page for membership information at http://www.hslda.org or this link for the Curriculum Market: http://market.hslda.org/auction/xcAuction.asp

3.) Join a local co-op or support group in your area. Many groups will have free curriculum swaps where you can trade with other group members or used books sales throughout the year.

4.) Look for annual statewide or regional
homeschool conventions or currculum fairs in your area. Usually big name vendors will offer deep discounts and specials at these fairs and often the group sponsoring the fair/convention will also host a used curriculum sale as well and you’ll surely find deep discounts and unique and hard to find things as well.

5.) Last but not least, you can find alot of FREE curriculum online that you can dowload onto your PC or e-reader, and there is always what is available through your public library system. Many classic but old out of print curriculum has no copyright anymore so you can download entire readers, spelling books, grammar, and math textbooks for FREE as well as the teacher’s guides etc. The downside is that it can be time intensive hunting these resources down, but they are tried and true and well done….and FREE.

There is a homeschool etree in our town that I am on – and the 4 (at least) homeschool groups around here all have used curriculum sales. It is so helpful when you first start homeschooling to connect to others in your area – it will bless you more than you think! So start looking and I am sure you will find some good used resources. You do need to be open minded – decide which areas you really have strong feelings about, and where you can compromise. For instance, Math, History, Science you may want a certain curriculum, but spelling, writing, health (which my state requires us to teach) maybe be open to what you find.There is a lot out there.

http://notesfromamama.blogspot.com Kristy

So far, I have bought our used texts locally. A few of these have some stray marks and bent pages. Some of them have never been used at all, just something the family wound up not using. I have seen completely used up workbooks for sale too. The prices vary greatly by who is selling it.

We have purchased some books at a large used book store. I am also on a listserv of people in our area, so I hear about all the sales and even private listings of what a particular family has for sale. I can also post a list of what I wish to purchase, and I can usually get what I want (if it isn’t relatively new) if I’m willing to drive to pick it up.

To find a listserv like that, I recommend using the Home School Legal Defense Association website. After selecting ‘state’, click on organizations. There you can find organizations in your state that may have services like this.

My other recommendation is to check your library for any literature choices you would read in a few weeks and not likely again for awhile. Many of the all inclusive sets have great books, but you may not need to keep all of the books, especially if you have a good public library (especially one with inter-library loan access).

Thriftbooks.com is worth a try. The selection does vary, but the prices are great. My three year old is learning to read and I was able to pick up some nice books for him on that site. I always check there before I buy anywhere else.

melissa james

Vegsource is a great place to look. It takes some time to find used books but it is doable. Our local homeschool organization has a used book fair every year. This is the time to look. Also, dont hesitate to ask other homeschool moms what they prefer and why and also would they be willing to let you borrow some of theirs until you decide what works best. I hope you have a blessed year on this exciting adventure!

http://cowpattysurprise.blogspot.com Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise)

This Ozark Farm Chick is a retired educator but four of my grandkiddos are homeschooled by the my marvelous DIL, The Latin Lovin’ Hillbilly. :o)

I’m surprised if ya don’t already, have a swap sight for used curriculum. I know that The Latin’ wouldn’t mind a bit helpin’ guide anyone to where she finds her curriculum either…she’s friendly like that!!! ‘Just sayin’ …. Heeeheehhehee!!!

From the happy hills and hollers of the beautifully sunny Missouri Ponderosa, ya’ll have yourselves a fantastically blessed day now, ya hear!!!

Rebecca

Also, just because a book is consumable doesn’t mean it has to be used that way. Especially for English/Grammar, Latin, and Reading Comprehension Texts, I have my children write out answers into a spiral notebook so that some consumables can be reused or resold. My oldest are twins and we just can’t afford double the consumable workbooks every year, but I’ll use the same method once they are passed down too.

Laura {{* *}}

For many years, we have bought and sold used curriculum and resources at
Veg Source ~ Homeschool.
This is a website that promotes vegan lifestyle, but the home school boards are welcome to everyone. The items are mainly sold by home educators like you.
I have never had one problem with payment or scam in all the years I have done business here.

There are Swap Boards for specific grade levels, clothing, miscellaneous, as well as a WTB (Want to Buy) section that allows postings for items you want to purchase. People who have items to sell will scan this board and contact you with the condition and price for the item. I have been greatly successful using this board.

To do a search, go to the appropriate board, click ” ctrl + f ”
You can highlight all items in that board that have your search info and then click “next” to see the next listing.

I have also used Ebay for used curriculum and books in the past, but these days it seems to be outdone by other online sources like Veg Source, Amazon for used, and Rainbow Resource, and sometimes, CBD for new.
If you live in a home school dense area, there are bound to be Used Curriculum Sales. You will need to put your feelers out and get in community with other home educators for support, encouragement, and valuable info like this.

{{* *}}

Lisa Cau

Depending on how you want to work your curriculum, there are a lot of free ways to go. This past year my kids were 7th, 4th and two in 2nd.

American History can be done using the library (non-fiction and historical fiction) and internet to learn and both of those are Free!

There are online spelling lists and rules that are Free.

This site: http://www.edhelper.com costs $20 a year and there are thousands of writing, grammar, comprehension activities that go with the literature books that you can get at the library for Free.

We also do a good part of our science from the library. Reading a book about a science topic and writing/drawing about it.

This does require work on your part to prepare. But I start in the summer by going to the library and getting a list of what they already have and preparing form there.

If you can’t find something used there are a lot of Wholesale Company’s that offer discounts. http://www.rainbowresource.com is where I buy some things. If you buy Saxon 8/7 from Saxon Publishing it will cost you $95.75. If you buy it new from Rainbow Resource it will cost $54.75. Just an idea if you do have to buy new.

http://www.oursmallhours.com Our Small Hours

Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, maybe even Half.com. Check your local thrift stores, too. I donated two $500 sets of curriculum that did not work for us after only marking in the first couple of pages. Almost entirely brand new.

Also, see if your local home schooling group has an email loop or message board and either ask or be on the look out for other selling or giving away curriculum.

Kris

You can also use Paperbackswap.com. They do have some home school books there and you can swap books you no longer need for what you do need. Even literature books for school are on there as well.

I buy alot of books off of eBay and if still in nice enough condition, resell them again. It really helps the school budget. Also, if you are involved in a home school group, they often give away books or sell them for cheap. The networking among home schoolers helps greatly if you finish with books and can do an exchange, borrow or they may sell cheap to you.

kate

I notice that will buy, sell and rent textbooks – including homeschool editions

Laurie in MN

While I’m not a homeschooler, I am a bargain shopper.While I don’t know about the groups, etc, I have seen homeschooling materials all over in my travels.

Depending on what curriculum you’re going to be using, try:

Craigslist–if you live in a large metro area you probably would start with that. On the top left corner is a search box. Put homeschool into that–I just did on the Mpls/St.Paul site and tons came up–this search will also give you garage sales who advertise HS stuff. Also check out nearby Craigslist’s. On the home page for your local CL on the right column it says “nearby cl”. For example, if you lived in the Mpls/St. Paul metro, but in one of the eastern cities one of the Wisconsin CL’s may have a good deal
for you. You can also put an ad in their “wanted” section.

Freecycle: Go to Freecycle.org and sign up for the ones in your area. While I am subscribed to the Mpls FC, due to my location I am also in a couple others.

If you’re looking for Christian based curriculum, check out local thrift stores that are church run. People are more apt to donate that type of stuff to a “Bibles for Missions” type thrift than to the local Goodwill.

Debbie

The absolute best place is http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool. I am not a vegetarian…However… I stumbled upon this site many years ago.. These are homeschool moms selling their stuff.. And you can sell your stuff on there.. .Completely free to use the forum. Check it out! Always ask questions though… I look for non-smoking homes and compare prices to what they would be new. You shouldn’t have to pay more than half of what it was new unless it was unused. Been homeschooling for 20 years (yikes)… and between vegsource, Rainbow Resource and Amazon… I save a lot on curriculum.

Christa

Sometimes you can find items on http://www.half.com
My daughter (8th grade) is taking two classes through the local college and we found all four of her books there & only paid .75 each + shipping. You have to search through several buyers. The more you buy from one buyer the more you save on shipping. SHipping i think is normally 3.99 a book, but if you buy more than one item, the first is 3.99 & everything after is 1.89. The cost per book plus shipping was still less than I would pay from our local shop/amazon.
Good Luck

sarah

We don’t use curriculum (we’re unschoolers) but I do need to buy resource material and books and I totally second the suggestions above to make a list of what you want and then start bargain shopping. paperbackswap does get educational materials quite a bit, and I find things on amazon for about $1 plus shipping all the time.

Also, for reference books, and extra books on specific subjects, the library is great — we can get a teacher’s card here which allows you to check out up to 100 books and you keep them for 90 days, so find out if you’ve got something similar locally.

Laura

homeschoolclassifieds.com I have gotten lots of good stuff on this website. Sometimes it goes fairly fast… and sometimes you can’t find what you are looking for, but it’s worth a shot!

http://ThePioneerWoman Mary Jane Pike

I work in a small library. We get donations of gently used homeschool materials at least once a month. We put them out on our sale book shelves. Since they are generally paperback, they only cost our patrons .25. Even the hardbacks are only $1.00. You can also check at Goodwill Stores and used book stores.

http://supermombyday.com Tezra

I use some of the larger boxed curriculums. I’ve found them all used on either homeschoolclassifieds.com or by searching craigslists across the country allofcraigs.com and asking the seller if they’ll ship.